Exclusive: Naomi Watts on her ‘challenging’ early menopause and why ‘age is in’

There’s no age limit to falling in love, as Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup, both 54, proved recently when they tied the knot last month. 

Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup’s love story:

The two actors, who have been together since 2017 and both have teenage children with former partners, chose to celebrate their midlife romance by getting secretly married in New York. Their relationship has shown that not only is love possible to find later in life, but also that “older” women are not, as Naomi once feared, “let out to pasture.”

In fact, for the Mulholland Drive star, finding love and a revived joy for her career at an age when most women felt “less desirable” has inspired her to speak out. Even more so since her diagnosis of early menopause when she was just 36 years old. Now almost 20 years later, she is starting a new chapter in her life. 

Naomi Watts on the menopause:

“Going through the menopause at such a young age was not easy, especially during a time when there was so little information available about it,” she explains. “Mood swings, night sweats, and migraines…I was feeling like I was spiralling out of control.”

The lack of knowledge about what was going on made it all the more difficult. Even medical professionals don’t adequately prepare us for the experience. Yet Naomi’s menopause soon became more manageable once she realised that she needed to be her “own best advocate”, and that “seeking help and understanding more about what was happening” was the best way to survive a “challenging period of adjustment.”

“Going through this journey led me to a deeper understanding of myself, and I came out on the other side feeling more authentically me,” she explains. “A lot of freedom came in the self-acknowledgement. I had those voices in the back of my mind reminding me how old women are let out to pasture, but there was a lure to this desire to be authentic, to crawl from behind the invisible wall and just acknowledge for myself something that everyone could have probably guessed.”

Naomi Watts partners with Menopause Mandate:

This enlightening introduction to menopause is the reason behind Naomi’s new partnership with Menopause Mandate, the not-for-profit organisation that is on a mission to revolutionise midlife support available to American women. Building upon their success in the UK, Naomi is thrilled to join Mariella Frostrup as the US equivalent co-chair for the organisation and hopes that the partnership will help women feel more supported and less alone, like she did in the early days. 

“Mariella Frostrup has been a friend of mine since, I can’t remember, but I’ve known her for decades. When I learned about her book and her documentary, I was thrilled and called her right way to tell her what we were building with Stripes. Her championing it in the UK is totally inspiring.”z

© Ben Watts/Trunk Archive

“I truly believe that if menopause hadn’t been such an off-limits topic when I first started experiencing symptoms, I would’ve had an easier transition,” she explains. “I was part of a cycle that desperately needed to be broken. There was a lack of open conversation and resources to help women navigate the changes we go through. That’s why I’m now so passionate about raising awareness and encouraging more honest conversations.”

Naomi feels positive about what the future holds for American menopausal women. Especially those looking for love and new relationships at this traditionally challenging age. “The most valuable move for any relationship, partnership, workplace or family, is to just be open and honest about what you’re going through. Most times this gives people a chance to be empathetic and know how to respond. And plus hiding is so much more exhausting.”

Naomi Watts on women and age:

Naomi truly believes that “the tides are changing” and that “‘age’ is ‘in’. “I’m proud to still be working; when the defining narrative used to be that if you were a hair over 40 you were basically forced into retirement, seeing that shift, that’s empowering…

“There’s growing recognition that women’s stories don’t end at a certain age. It’s a natural phase of life which half the population is going to go through. The more normalised the conversation can be, is going to present an opportunity for everyone to understand. Let’s hope it becomes as easy to talk about this stuff as it’s been to talk about periods.”

And while Hollywood is catching up, Naomi knows there are a lot more midlife stories waiting to be told – and she’s keen to be a part of that journey. She feels passionately that the menopause “hasn’t been adequately portrayed’ on the big screen and she’s keen to put that right. 

© Ben Watts/Trunk archive

“It’s a side comment here or there, barely even a secondary plot line, but menopause can consume a significant portion of a woman’s life – some people it can last over a decade. How is that not worth writing stories about? So many things can happen in a women’s life during this time; caring for elderly parents, an emptying nest, a divorce, a career shift, getting back into the work force. High stakes! All great fodder for meaningful and rich storytelling,” she adds. “Watch this space!”

Do you have a menopause story that you’d like to share? Visit Menopause Mandate, we’d love to hear from you.